IL SR1741

661,000 Americans currently have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), with more than 89,000 deaths annually and over 5,100 new cases diagnosed yearly in Illinois.

Home dialysis (peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis) provides economic and lifestyle advantages including greater autonomy, reduced transportation dependence, and higher employment rates compared to in-clinic hemodialysis.

The three-month Medicare waiting period for new Medicaid patients costs Illinois approximately $43 million annually in Medicaid expenses; home dialysis training programs can move patients to Medicare on day one of treatment, saving state funds.

Only 10% of dialysis patients currently receive home treatment, with disparate access among minorities—African Americans experience 3.7 times higher ESRD incidence than Caucasians, and Hispanic and African American patients are significantly less likely to receive home dialysis modalities.

Senate urges state agencies and policymakers to implement policies improving access to home dialysis modalities through telehealth, medical waste law reforms, and reimbursement improvements to address barriers including insufficient provider education and patient awareness.